Since the stories appeared Sunday I have heard from many Catholics who believe their rejection of the hierarchy’s teaching on contraception is every bit as “faithful” as the official position of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Kaiser’s piece is called “Open letter to the U.S. bishops: Let’s not be a laughingstock, OK?” For those Catholics who asked for a counterpoint to the lengthy stories representing official church teaching, I pass it along.

Another resource for readers interested in a different viewpoint on contraception is the story I wrote for the Post’s Sunday Perspective Section in March on “Health vs. Faith.” I’ve included a link at the end of this post.

Contraception is important for married Catholic women and men. The ability to space out wanted pregnancies lowers the rate of infant
mortality and of women who die in childbirth – important public health goals.
Use of contraception also dramatically lowers the rate of unintended pregnancies (and abortions). The 65% of American women who use contraception consistently and correctly account for just 5% of unintended pregnancies, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of unintended pregnancies occur when women use NO contraception at all (52%) or use contraception inconsistently (43%).

Here’s a link to the article for those who are interested: Health vs. faith: The debate over insurance for contraceptives – The Denver Post.

Thanks for another great story!
Lisa Wirthman
Twitter: @@LisaWirthman:disqus

Lisa Wirthman

Hi Electa,

Another resource for any readers interested in a different take on contraception is a story I wrote for the Post’s Perspective section in March, “Health vs. Faith.” I’ve posted the link below.

Contraceptives can protect married Catholics too: Using birth control to space apart wanted pregnancies lowers rates of infant mortality and women who die in childbirth. These are important public health goals.

Contraception also significantly reduces unintended pregnancies (and abortions). The 65% of American women who used contraceptives consistently and correctly accounted for only 5% of unwanted pregnancies, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

The other 95% of unintended pregnancies were among women who used NO contraception (52%) and women who used contraception inconsistently (43%).

Here’s a link to the story: Health vs. faith: The debate over insurance for contraceptives – The Denver Post
Thanks for a great article!
Lisa Wirthman

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